Bernardo
drove the team of horses steadily through the ever-pouring rain. Despite
the protection his hat and the poncho would normally have provided him,
he had been soaked within the first mile from the hacienda.
Before reaching the mission, the mute and his trail partner in the
other wagon were met by a mission Indian, who informed them of the
urgent need for one of them to go to the smaller mission and get the
last of the children.

After
getting the information in sign, Bernardo informed the servant driving
the other wagon that he would go. A short time later when he
arrived, the children were standing on the mission steps waiting
anxiously. A young priest helped them into the back of the wagon and
urged Bernardo to hasten. Distant rumbling sounds punctuated the
priest’s words and the manservant turned the bedraggled animals
around and started back down the mountainside.

The
trip down the mountains was faster, but Bernardo's problem was in
keeping the poor animals from slipping on the incline and going too
fast. He looked nervously above him as they passed the Mountain of the
Black Bears, hearing small noises that indicated a shifting of
earth and rocks. Near the bottom of the mountain road, the wagon mired
and nothing Bernardo and the priest did could dislodge the stuck wheels.

With
a sigh, Bernardo unhitched the horses and admonished the young cleric,
to take as many children on horseback as he could and keep going to
the de la Vega hacienda. An older child was put in charge of the
remaining orphans following on foot. As the group of children slogged
through the mud and around the bend of the trail, the ominous rumbling
that had frightened Bernardo earlier during the trip grew louder.
Looking up, the servant saw part of the mountainside disengage
itself from the bedrock and start cascading down the slope.

Eyes
wide in horror, Bernardo ran as fast on the slippery trail as he could,
but it wasn't fast enough. Glancing back he saw the mud push the
wagon toward him at an incredible speed. With a cracking, grinding sound
the wagon split apart and slid even faster toward him. The mozo
tried to dodge the pieces of wagon bed, but was unable to move fast
enough and was slammed against a boulder. Through red curtains of pain,
he looked down and saw that the wagon's sideboard had him pinned
immovable against the boulder.

Surprisingly,
Bernardo was quite lucid after the initial waves of pain subsided, but
saw that his injuries were most likely fatal. As the mud pressed the
wood ever tighter, the pain subsided, although he could still feel the
inexorable pressure. The manservant tried desperately to push the boards
aside, but it was like trying to stop the river with a wave of a
hand. It simply couldn't be done. The pressure against his diaphragm
created problems with his breathing, and Bernardo stopped struggling and
resigned himself to his fate. He worried about Don Diego and wondered
who would help him when he was gone. Bernardo prayed that his patrón
would be protected.

"Don
Alejandro, I need a horse." Juan said simply. He had appeared at
the sala door, shortly after Diego's departure, to the
astonishment of the elder de la Vega. When Alejandro didn't answer
quickly, he continued. "Señorde la Vega, I
know that your son went in search of his manservant, who is, indeed, in
grave danger. I need a horse, because his black stallion cannot
alone do the job that will be needed in the mountains. Please, señor,
time is of the essence."

Alejandro
realized what the church worker was saying and stammered, "My son
does not have a black stallion."

"But
El Zorro does. Please, there is no time for word games, may I get a
horse from your stable?" Juan asked.

Alejandro
nodded and watched Juan dash toward the stables. Not long after that,
the old man heard the soft clattering of hooves on the mud-coated
stones.

Zorro
saw the children and the priest trudging down through the pass and
brought Tornado to a halt. "The de la Vega manservant, where is
he?"

"Back
up the pass, Señor Zorro. We thought he was following, but then
we heard part of the mountain come down and we knew he had not made it.
I had to take care of the children. I could not leave," the priest
said sadly.

"I
understand. The de la Vega hacienda is just a few miles further
and you should not be in any danger of mud slides from this point
on," Zorro informed them as he spurred Tornado on up the trail.

A
short while further as he rounded the bend, he saw a sight that
horrified him. Bernardo was pinned against a rock by mud and a
piece of a wagon. The mute turned toward him with worried eyes and then
motioned him back. Zorro ignored him. Seeing Bernardo able to
communicate gave him hope. Forcing the black stallion through the
knee-deep muck, the outlaw soon made his way close enough to tie a rope
around part of the broken wagon. Bernardo once again
motioned for him to leave. "No, Bernardo, never. Tornado will pull
away this wood pinning you against the boulder and then I will take
you back to the hacienda."

Bernardo
signed the hopelessness of the situation. "NO, Bernardo, it is not
hopeless!" Zorro cried. The mozo sagged against the boulder,
his breathing ragged and labored.

"Diego,
take this rope and tie it to the board. It will take both horses
pulling." Zorro took the second rope without question and tied it
near the first. Turning, he saw Juan urging both horses to pull.
Slipping and sliding, the pair of animals was soon making headway, and
Zorro saw the slow movement of the wagon piece away from Bernardo's body.
As soon as there was room for him to approach the manservant, he reached
in and grabbed Bernardo as he sagged in semi-consciousness.

The
relief of pressure brought an overwhelming renewal of pain for the
servant and he screamed soundlessly. In despair, he looked into
the anxious face of his patrón, before darkness overtook him.

Zorro
carried Bernardo far enough away from the thick mud to care for him in a
place of relative safety. Juan walked at his elbow, steadying him
when his boots slipped on the wet mud. Gently laying Bernardo down, he
looked at the battered condition of his friend and with a cry of
anguish, Zorro held the dying servant, trying to keep the rain out of the
mute's face with his own body. He could feel the ebbing of life from
Bernardo's body and Zorro felt that part of his own soul was dying
as well.

"Diego,
let me help," Juan said softly.

"There
is nothing that can be done," Zorro said in a hoarse whisper.

"Diego,
would you believe me if I said I could cure your servant's
injuries?" Juan said in a low, but authoritative voice.

Zorro
looked up, a ready retort on his lips, but something in Juan's eyes
stopped him. He saw such power and compassion in the face of the church
helper, as he could never imagine a mere mortal to have. Juan's face
almost glowed. "Yes, I would," was all that Zorro could say
and he looked back down at the servant who had served him with such
devotion and loyalty these past years. "Yes, Juan, even though I
know of no physician on Earth who could cure injuries such as these, if
you say you can, then please do it."

"I
have the power of the Master Physician, Diego. Continue to hold him for
me," Juan told him as he gently laid his hands upon Bernardo's
head. "Bernardo Hernan Treviño y Briales, I command you in the
name of Jesus Christ, my Master, to be healed of these injuries, to rise
and walk and serve your fellowmen once again."

Zorro
had no doubt of the authority of Juan's words; he felt a flow of
whatever power the healer possessed. It didn't strengthen him
physically, but the despair he felt melted away, and he looked up at
Juan in astonishment and wonder. Then he felt the renewed vigor of
the man in his arms as Bernardo began to breathe normally again.

Suddenly,
Bernardo opened his eyes and looked at both men, then looked down at his
legs. Blood still mixed with mud on his trousers, but his legs were
whole and he looked up to Juan, knowing that somehow he was the source
of his succor. Signing his thanks, the mozo struggled
to rise from the sodden ground. Zorro helped him, happily. Bernardo
looked down in wonder once again and then back up at his patrón.

Happiness
bubbled like a spring and Zorro began to laugh, grabbing his manservant
in a bear hug, which Bernardo reciprocated. Looking over to the healer,
all Zorro could say at that moment was thank you.

"Your
faith helped make this happen, Diego. Miracles cannot happen without
faith," Juan said quietly. "But you are very welcome. There is
much more for you two to accomplish and neither of you can do it
alone."

"Who
are you, Juan?" Zorro asked, still awed, as he untied the ropes
from the horses. "Where did you get such miraculous power?"

"As
I said, my power comes from the Master Healer, in whose name I continue
to work. My names are several. Juan Querido, Juan Revelador,"
he shrugged. "There are others, but the name is not important. The
deeds, the service are what count as we make our journey through
life."

Bernardo
started signing furiously about the time Zorro dropped the ropes in
shock. Shock that surged through his body. "The Revelator," he
whispered. "Are you a ghost or returned from the dead?"

"No,
Diego, I am very much alive, have been for a long time, will continue to
be for some time to come," Juan laughed softly. "Until the
Savior comes again. A request made and a promise given," he added
softly.

Only
for an instant did Zorro ponder. "It is no wonder there were
disputes over the date of your death, because that event never
occurred."

"Sí,"
Juan said simply. "And now I must leave you. I have finished here
in Los Angeles and must journey on. Felice Navidad, Diego,
Bernardo; remember who it is that you serve as you serve your
fellowmen." With a wave and a smile, Juan walked up a little path
along the side of the mountain and before the two men could say
anything, the Revelator disappeared from sight.

Two
days later, on January 6th, the day officially called Dia de Los
Reyes, the two de la Vegas and Bernardo exchanged simple gifts
in the sala as they watched the orphans in their care play with
the gifts they had already received. The noisy chatter was much
different from the normal quiet of the hacienda, but the men reveled in
the children’s company. The mozo had ordered some new
sheet music from Mexico and had it tied with a simple ribbon. Diego
looked at it in appreciation and then looked back at Bernardo. In an
voice filled with emotion, he only said, "Gracias, Bernardo,
but God has given me the greatest gift that a man could receive on Dia
de Los Reyes, and that is the promise of more years of
companionship with a devoted and loyal friend."

The
End

Merry
Christmas

Author's
Source Notes:

On
Navidad-Mexico, the Culture by Bobbie KalmanChristmas in Mexico published by World Book EncyclopediaChristmas Around the World by Emily Kelley

On
Religious Matters-
If anyone finds mistakes in the depiction of the Catholic religion, I
make my apologies here. I took what little I knew and speculated as
reverently as I could for the story. Again, please e-mail me with any
corrections.

Information
on the Russian language and culture-
I thank Olga Levina for her gracious assistance. She has been invaluable
in helping me re-edit this story, but any mistakes are to be laid solely
on my lap. Thank you to all for your input and loving comments.